A Place to Call Home
by theminimogut
Summary: A rather long one-shot about Maxwell's brother, Glum, and his struggle to find where he belongs.


Author's note: This is my first published work! I do a lot of writing anyways, but I've never actually published a fanfiction before, so here goes! This isn't the best, I definitely... lost my point somewhere along the way, but I'll never learn new techniques if I don't put my stuff out there, right?

I'm not sure how to begin, at least… not after Lily's story. I guess… well, first off, I'm Glum. Yes, Glum is my name. Either my parents are psychics with a sense of humor, or I decided to mold to my name. But, that's neither here or there.

I grew up on Edwin's farm like most of my siblings. Well, technically, it's Mom and Dad's farm, but they kind of gave it to Edwin - who is their oldest child - when they went off on another adventure. When they originally bought the house, it was little more than a ramshackle hut on the edge of an enormous field.

By the time Mom and Dad were done with it, it was a slightly larger, slightly less ramshackle cottage, painted bright yellow and still sitting on the edge of an enormous field. Not a bad place to grow up, but still kind of… unpleasant when you're sharing it with forty two siblings. Not that I hate any of my siblings, they're all amazing and I love them, but… well… showering was a pain.

Now, I know you must be wondering: Glum, how in the heck did your parents have forty two children if Edwin is the oldest?! Well, Edwin was about twenty when he was given the house. Not to mention the fact that only about half of the kids had been born by the time Edwin got the house. Also, the vast majority of our family are twins or triplets. So, for example, Leon, Guy and I are triplets, and Kenpo and Shadow are twins. Yes, I'm very aware of the similarities between the siblings. I honestly have no idea why it worked out that way.

Anyways, most of us moved out after we turned eighteen. Seriously, we're everywhere. You could go anywhere in the world and ask for a member of the Scribblenaut family. I bet you anything that you'll find at least one of us. Even Tots somehow manages to get around faster than I can. Crazy baby.

I lived with Edwin and whoever was at the house at the time for most of my life. Edwin got the fields all fixed up, and built a big red barn near the house, and anyone who lived at the house was expected to help out. Surprisingly, even my stronger and meaner brothers helped Edwin whenever he asked. Blood is thicker than water, I guess.

Now, as I'm sure you've noticed, most of us have some kind of special skill, artifact or power. Like, Clark can fly, Tots can apparently teleport out of his crib and Leon is an evil genius inventor. Well, when I say most of us, I really mean all of us. Even those of us who don't exactly broadcast their skill everywhere can do _something_. So me? I'm just boring, old Glum, right? Well, wrong. I've got mad sculpting skills.

For as long as I can remember, I've used up my free time at the museum. The paintings were cool, I guess, and the dinosaur exhibits were okay, but I was always obsessed with the wax sculptures and the ancient pottery. Well, less with the wax and more with the pots, but anything that had been sculpted was pretty much okay in my book.

The rest of my life was pretty okay, too. I did well in school, only got a couple detentions… alright, and maybe a suspension, too. I was framed, I swear. I did well enough to graduate on my first try, at least. Leon, Guy and I all went to school at the same time, so we hung out together. It scared the bullies off, seeing all the freaks grouping up.

I'll admit, I got really jealous when all of my other brothers found out their talents before me. I started to go nutso, researching, trying out new things all the time, wearing myself out trying to find out what I was good at. Out of all my siblings, Edwin and Poindexter were the most helpful, but even they couldn't help.

Then, one day, when all of the other brothers were gone or busy, Edwin had me help transport vegetable and animals to the farmer's market. I was around fourteen at the time. We got to the market, and I helped Edwin set up his stand, and get the animals to the proper place. Edwin gave me some money, and sent me off to buy some fresh bread from the local bakery. I wandered around first, taking in all of the sights, sounds and smells of the market and that's when I saw _it_.

A man was sat on the street corner, molding lumps of clay on a potter's wheel. When he finished his project, he placed the clay in a bright patch of sunlight and waited. He had some exampls of his work set up, and it ranged from cook-ware to small statues. I was enthralled, Edwin and the bread completely forgotten. Edwin actually had to come find me, and I wasted no time telling him about the potter.

Edwin laughed, understanding all too well the feeling when he realized what he was meant to do. He made a deal with me: he would buy the necessary supplies if I worked extra for him, and didn't let my grades slip more than a few points in either direction. I'm proud to say that I upheld my end of the bargain, and was soon crafting like mad.

I started out simple. Plates, bowls and mugs. Easy, somewhat lopsided things. But I practiced every day after school, and got better. Soon, the things I made were good enough to sell, so I did. I'd gather my best works and sell them at the farmer's market.

I got better at my craft very quickly, and was soon making - along with dishware - decorations. Garden gnomes, delicate statuettes, even ceramic dolls. It was a relief, because I could forget about any stress while I worked, and it provided for me something I hadn't considered before - a future.

By the time I was ready to graduate, I was able to fully support myself. Speaking of graduating, I didn't do too badly on my final grade, if anyone cared. Anyways, I moved away from the farm, and bought a small flat in Capital City. I continued to sculpt and sell at the farmer's market, and eventually had my own stall in the Under Line, near the lady who sold flowers.

But that City… day and day out, it is stifling. At least, to me. Compared to Edwin's farm, it was cold and grey. No one smiled, or helped others, like Edwin - and Mom and Dad - had taught me and my siblings. That place started to affect me, and I started to turn just as cold and numb as everyone else there. It frightened me, and I turned to my family, but it was Lily who helped most during that time.

Lily, only five years old, was the one who gave me the best guidance. She told me to leave the city. Go somewhere that was colorful, happy, _alive_. Between her and Maxwell, she's always been the most observant. She didn't know where I would be happy, but she trusted I would know… that I had always known. So, on the advice of a five year old, I packed up my every belonging into an SUV I had bought at a discount, and left.

I traveled all over the world, sleeping in my car, and examining the world around me. Nowhere in particular struck my fancy, and the excitement I had felt at the beginning of my journey was quickly fading. I encountered many of my family along the way, which did help raise my spirits slightly.

I continued, taking a ferry across the Abian Sea Front and continuing my journey down through the canyon. I ran into my brother, Tony, who… well, let's just say that he's had disagreement after disagreement with pretty much every member of the family. He's pretty aggressive, and chased me out of Dusty Brush.

Basically, I kept going until I reached Ampersand Beach. After the beach - as far as I knew - there was only open ocean that stretched until you were back at Capital City. But the beach was still too crowded, to noisy and angry. I parked my car and leaned back in the driver's seat, coming to terms with the fact that I had literally traveled all over the world and hadn't found anywhere that felt like _home_.

There was a tap on my windshield. I looked up, and saw a very familiar pink and green mohawk bobbing around the side of my car. I lunged for the crank and rolled down the window.

"Guy!" I shouted.

"Hey Glum! Long time, no see; what're you up to, brother?"

"Oh, uh... not much, just traveling. Heard from Leon lately?"

"Yeah, he lives up at the volcano, crazy idiot. He comes down to see me and Tiny from time to time, and grab supplies," Guy said, running a hand through his hair. "So, you're traveling, huh? How's that been?"

"Pretty good," I lied. "I've been running into just about everyone out here. It was good catching up with everyone."

Now, before I go on, I want to explain why both Guy and Leon managed to get out and settled long before I did, even though we're all the same age. The two of them took off, one after the other, right after we all graduated. Guy wanted his own place, pronto, and Leon… well, Leon is Leon.

"Pretty good, huh?" Guy asked, giving me a look. "Don't lie to me, Glum."

"L-lie? What are you talkin-"

"Glum, we're brothers. You were one of my only friends growing up, and I know you better than the back of my own hand. What's wrong?"

So I told him. He didn't stop me to ask questions, or didn't interject. Guy just listened… he'd always been good at listening. Finally, I had nothing more to say and I stared at my hands, waiting.

"I'm not gonna lie, Glum, I don't understand how you're feeling right now. Once I found Ampersand, it all just clicked for me. But I can tell you, I did feel lost before I found this beach. My music helped, yes, but everything really fell into place the minute I stepped onto the sands. But you do have a place, somewhere, I know you do. You said you'd traveled everywhere, right? And you're sure about that?"

"Yes," I snorted. "I've been everywhere that could possibly be populated by humans, even some places where no one could ever live. I've found _nothing_, Guy."

Guy thought for a while, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper until…

"Hold on, I think I got it. I'll be back in a sec."

I watched him cross the parking lot, disappear into a bungalow, and return with a heavy roll of paper.

"Here she is. Mom and Dad gave me this copy of their magic world map. It changes as the landscape does, and if you touch it, it will show you where you've traveled to," Guy explained, unrolling the map and handing it to me.

The minute I touched it, a crop of symbols appeared, littering the map face. A majority of the symbols were orange and white checkmarks, but there were still a few red and white starbursts scattered about, usually in the ocean.

"Those checkmarks are places where you've been before, and the little red doohickeys show where you still haven't been."

Guy pored over the map for a second, grinned and then poked a finger at a couple of tiny specks far off the coast.

"You might want to try those places, Glum. The smaller place is actually a floating castle, but Moury lives there, so unless you want to listen to his griping again, I'd recommend _here_."

"What's so special about that place?"

"That _place_ is Dot, and was a previously undiscovered island up until about ten years ago. A cargo ship crashed on the island, and the load and crew were lost until an oil company decided to go drilling out there."

"And that's supposed to be special?"

"Well, it's one of the few places you haven't been to yet. Might as well give it a try," Guy said, shrugging and rolling up the map.

"I don't know, Guy…"

"Listen, the ferry will come by tomorrow to pick up supplies and stuff. If you want, you could probably hitch a ride. You'll have to leave your car behind, though; I visited the island once, there isn't enough room for a car."

"But-"

"Just visit, Glum. Walk around, talk to people and ask questions. If you don't like the place, there's a mechanic on the island you can talk to. She rides up to Storybook Keep every now and then. You don't even have to haul your stuff over yet, I can watch it for you."

So I spent the night at Guy's house. He and his girlfriend were very accommodating, but it was still a rough night for me. I couldn't sleep, so I just lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Finally, it was time to go. Guy escorted me to the docks, and I boarded the ferry, handing over a couple ollars in return. Despite Guy's reasoning that he would take good care of my things, I felt it would be better to haul it all over in one go.

The ride was longer than I thought it would be. Mostly because I was sweating and nervous the whole way. The captain thought I was seasick or something. The closer we got, the more nervous I became. As soon as the island was within view, I rushed up to the deck, trying to find something that captured my attention.

The palm trees waved lazily in the morning sun, and the cyan waves sloshed serenely on the beach. The houses were tacked together out of bamboo and the pieces of the cargo ship. There was a dock on one end of the island, and a long empty platform that extended above it. The ferry circled around to the dock, where most of the island's residents were waiting. The captain tapped my shoulder.

"We're docking. I'll notify you when it's safe to disembark."

I nodded, then returned my attention to the dock. The ferry workers and the captain unloaded the great boxes of food and resources, piling them in the middle of the island. Finally, the last box The intercom crackled into life, and then the captain's voice rang out.

"All passengers may go ashore. All passengers, last call for Dot the Island."

I stood up, swallowed and followed the fading yellow lines, leading to the exits. I stepped out into the sunlight, glancing out over the villagers, gathered by the crates, staring at me with unconcealed curiosity. I touched down on the dock, going over to stand by my belongings, my _kiln_.

One old man walked forward. He was a grizzled old sailor, weathered and hardy. He looked me up and down, eyes resting for a minute on my tools. It wasn't a mean look, more of an appraising look. Finally, after a long silence, he held out a hand. I took it apprehensively.

"Welcome to Dot, my boy."

I was home.


End file.
